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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday during his visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
China, Türkiye are emerging major countries with spirit of independence, important members of Global South, says China's Xi said as he met President Erdogan
Erdogan arrived in China to participate in a major regional summit that brings together leaders from across Asia and beyond, marking Türkiye's continued engagement with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as global crises strain international relations.
Erdogan landed at Binhai International Airport, where he was greeted by Chinese Minister Lei Haichao and Türkiye's Ambassador to Beijing Selcuk Unal.
The Turkish delegation includes First Lady Emine Erdogan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.
Erdogan will attend the 25th Heads of State Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a guest of honor, participating in Monday's expanded summit session and holding bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and other world leaders.
The gathering takes place against a backdrop of mounting geopolitical pressures, including Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza, the prolonged conflict in Ukraine and escalating international trade disputes.
Xi, serving as the organization's rotating chair, is hosting China's fifth annual SCO summit.
More than 20 countries are sending representatives to the two-day summit in Tianjin, with high-profile attendees including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masood Pezeshkian, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev will also participate.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has expanded significantly since its origins as the "Shanghai Five" grouping of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, with Uzbekistan later joining as the sixth founding member.
The bloc now encompasses 10 full member states, two observers and 14 dialogue partners spanning Asia, Europe and Africa.
Türkiye holds dialogue partner status within the organization, which has grown into a substantial economic and political force covering roughly 24% of global land area and representing 42% of the world's population.
Member states account for approximately one-quarter of global GDP, with trade volumes increasing nearly 100-fold over two decades.
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